Mine Only
by Duchess of Darkness
Summary: Relating to my story, "Heaven Forbid", Harry and Draco plan on a little loving, and --what's this? Harry get's pregnant? [Reader's advised to read HF before reading this...] STATUS: COMPLETE!


AN: Hello, guys. Gosh, it took me several long days to write all this, and finally it's up instead of the seventh chapter to **Heaven Forbid**. Hopefully you guys won't mind this mini story. It kinda relates **HF**, but if you haven't read it yet, it won't make too much of a difference. ...It just would make more (a LOT of) sense if at least the first three or four chapters were read. Don't worry guys, I will update **HF** soon, so please stand by on yer toes. I can't say much about what's to happen in this long one-shot, not without revealing something, so I'll just let you read. Please remember to review and check out my profile for another version of it. (More on that in the other AN after the story.)

PS: I had a bunch of fun making this story, so please lend your support. Any words of advice or note on any errors are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Featured Genres (for the curious): Humor, Fluff, Romance, AU (sorta... it follows HF, though), OOC Harry (personality's really funky) and Draco (Gasp! He's nice!), Death

Suggested Music: Sarah McLachlan's _Fumbling Towards Ecstasy _cd.

**Mine Only**

**By Duchess of Darkness**

Long black hair pulled back into a loose braid swayed with every step of slender hips. Eyes sparkled like emeralds in the sunlight; lips were painted a faint red; cheeks were dusted with blush. A small smile adorned those painted lips as those emerald eyes shifted slowly from side to side, looking for a certain person. Almost with every step of half-inch heeled shoes, eyes turned toward seemingly earthbound goddess. Inwardly, this goddess was laughing at all the stares she was receiving. Now, if only she could gather a particular stare...

Whispers behind her back caused her to pause and turn around in curiosity. She nearly laughed when she caught who it was. "Really, you two. What's all this whispering about?" She tilted her head as she approached the three men sitting at a small round table.

The youngest of the three men smirked and leaned forward on the table. "I'm sorry, _Miss Harlequin_. We didn't mean to distract you from your mission."

The older two men, twins it seemed, nodded in unison and glanced at each other. "Yeah. You see, we were just commenting on how beautiful and _feminine_ you looked."

Harlequin threw the men an annoyed and bored look. "Would you two like to become my pottery?"

The men glanced at each other with wide eyes. With identical expressions of fear, they quickly shook their head, earning a satisfied grin from the goddess. They laughed nervously and sank back in their seats. They all knew that though that question seemed harmless, the real meaning behind it was rather scary. The youngest of the three had witnessed Harlequin's first victim turn into some form of pottery when crossing her path when she was angry. Why she chose pottery was beyond him, he just knew he didn't want to be on the receiving end of her wand.

Harlequin turned her back on the three men and continued her languid stride, acting as if she had someone to impress — and she did. She passed a large table of teenagers and avoided all the looks both the boys and girls gave her. She knew that she would gather stares from everyone in a public place like this. At first, when she thought of doing this, she was nervous. She had planned it for weeks now, but it still gave her the jitters. She had asked one of her best friends, Hermione, what she thought of the plan, and earned a hearty laugh and full approval. Well, at least she has the young woman's support. With a sigh, Harlequin continued to look around the crowd for that certain someone she came for.

She was stopped when a hand wrapped itself around her wrist. Turning sharply, Harlequin was greeted by two more old friends. She smiled at the two as she relaxed, drawing back to stand in front of the couple. "How are you, Neville, Blaise?" [1]

The usually clumsy brunette smiled up at her replied, "We're fine, Harle. You? Why are you here?"

The dark-haired man grinned mischievously. "Yes, Harle, what are you doing here? You're reeking with feminine beauty."

Harle laughed. "I'm sure you can tell. At least you're a bit more understanding and controllable than those three over there," she said, gesturing over her shoulder to the three men who waved back with identical grins on their face. "By the way, have you seen the dragon lately, Blaise?"

The dark-haired man, Blaise, frowned, appearing to be thinking. "He usually comes here to do some school work. It's a wonder, really, since he has you, but if he's here, he should be at his usual corner over there." He pointed to the booth in the corner of the room. There sat a man with long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. A pair of small spectacles was perched on the bridge of his nose as he worked furiously at a set of papers in front of him. Larger piles of papers were in front of him. Harle and Blaise laughed as they caught the blonde reach blindly for something on his discarded plate away from the papers and accidentally stuck his hand in ketchup.

Harle smiled to herself and turned back to the two men. "Thanks. I guess I know where he sits now. But hey, why are you two here? Nev', I thought you didn't like going out."

Neville ran a hand through his brown hair, smiling sheepishly. "I know, but since Blaise and I have been getting to know each other and hanging out, Blaise has been getting me to come out of my shell. I enjoy going out now. I'm not afraid of making a fool out of myself because I'm having a good time."

As the young man blushed and bent his head to hide it, Harle laughed a bit. With an approving smile, she said, "Well, that's good, Neville. I'm glad you're happy."

Neville looked back up and nodded eagerly. "Yeah. And same for you."

Harle had to will herself not to blush and nodded. "Well, I better go visit him. I hope he's not to buried in his work to forget about me." Winking, she continued her slow walk, this time heading for the blonde in the corner.

On her way, she passed by another friend, by herself it seemed, sipping at a Coke. They exchanged smiles and waves as Harle continued on her way until she stood right before the table of the booth hosting the working blonde. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise and she knew that a majority of the people in the room were staring at them — or rather,_ her_. She stood there for a few seconds, making sure her shadow got in the way of the blonde's working light.

The pen stopped moving across the paper and finely shaped blonde brows furrowed together as he noticed the suddenly lack of the natural light from outside that drifted its way to his table. Slender and calloused fingers set the pen down, and the blonde head rose, a practiced wrinkle of his nose pushing the glasses up his nose. As soon as grey eyes caught the sight of the goddess in front of him, his jaw went slack, his eyes widening and his face changing to an expression of pure shock.

Harle chuckled softly. "I take it you're surprised?"

The blonde shook his head vigorously before nodding. "Very. W-What are you doing here?"

Harle frowned. "Am I not allowed to?"

The blonde shook his head again. "No, you can be here. I'm just... surprised. I thought you would be home tending to that garden of yours or whatever you call it."

Harle wrinkled her nose in disapproval. "It is a garden, Draco. And if you don't like it, why did you buy me all those tools and seeds?"

Draco smiled apologetically and wrapped an arm around the goddess' waist, drawing her down to sit in the booth with him. "I'm sorry. I like it. I'm just questioning what plants you grow in it."

Harle huffed and pouted playfully. "It's called flowers and plants. I'm sure you've seen them before."

The blonde tightened his hold on her waist a bit and leaned his forehead against hers. "All right, all right, I have no right to insult a lady's garden and whatever the bloody hell she puts in it. How can you ever forgive me?"

Harle rolled her eyes and used a finger to push him away. "First, tell me what you're doing. I want to know what keeps you so busy to not have time with me anymore." She picked up a few papers from the piles scattered in front of them and looked them over. "Is this it?" she asked before he could answer. "What are they on?"

Draco leaned over the young woman's shoulder and skimmed over the writing. "Ah, that's the report the students are doing on something they like. Maybe their pet or a sport or something."

Harle read over the report in front of her. It was on dogs. Judging by the writing style, she guessed it was a girl talking. She flipped through the papers in her hand until she came to a report that caught her eye and quirked a brow at the blonde who had returned to working on some paper of his own, an arm still wrapper around her waist. Nudging him, she waved the paper in his face. "Who's this, Dragon?"

The blonde looked over the paper. He looked at the bottom lower right corner of the page and read last name and page number scrolled there. "Ah. I think this is Nathaniel's paper." He took the report from the goddess and read it through. When he was done, he nodded and handed it back. "Yeah, it's Nathaniel's."

Harle blinked. "Nathaniel? Have you mentioned him before?"

The blonde dubbed 'Dragon' shrugged and shook his head. "No clue. I might have. Why? Does his paper interest you? Are you going to hunt him?"

Harle grinned and leaned her head against his. "Only if he's caught the dragon's attention, because he can't have him. Are _you_ interesting him this Nathaniel boy?"

The dragon laughed leaning back and shaking his head. "You really do amaze me, Harle." He kissed her cheek. "No, I'm not interested."

Harle gave a goofy triumphant smile and did a little dance in her seat. When Draco laughed at her, she threw her arms around him and hugged him. As she rested her head on his shoulder, she muttered, "Mine. You're mine only."

He let his laugh die down before hugging back and righting both of them. "Of course. Now, if you don't mind, I need to work. I love your company, but the lunch hour is about to end and I need to get back to class."

Harle smiled. "Let me help you. Can I? We can head back to your office or classroom right now and I'll help you do your papers."

"You've barely helped me before. You sure you remember how to grade them?"

"Yes, I know, but maybe from now on I should. You need to rest every once in a while. I want to help you. And of course I remember how you grade these things." Harle added a jut of her lower lips and flutter of her eyelashes to the offer. She knew it had no affect on the blonde, nor did she need to do it, but it was fun to play around.

The dragon smiled and nodded, gathering a pile of papers. "Fine," he said in mock annoyance. "You can help me but you'll have to grab that pile right there. If you're working, I'll make sure you're bloody working your arse off."

Harle did as she was told after wrinkling her nose at the blonde and walked with the blonde back to the school he was teaching at, following him back to his classroom where he taught English and reading. His desk along with all the student's desks faced the blackboard and overhead screen on one of the longer walls nearest to the door. A bookshelf flanked by cabinets covered the wall were the door was, a stereo on the largest shelf of the structure. In front of those shelves was a table where the blonde set down the papers. Harle followed his example and set her own pile next to his and sat down in the gray plastic chair with wheels on feet of its four legs, allowing her to spin it easily and move about as she wished without having to get up. The blonde sat at his desk corner to the table, disappearing from her view behind the computer as he sat in the cushioned rolling chair that you usually found in computer offices.

"So, how does it look?" asked Draco as he peeked around the computer monitor to look at the young woman twirling around in his other chair.

Harle stopped spinning to face the dragon. "It's fine. You certainly brought in a lot of books, though," she noted, gesturing to a long bookcase that reached across more than half of the wall opposite of the chalkboard. Ranging from magazines to short stories, poetry to long novels, all the shelves were filled with an assortment of books gathered over the years and sometimes received as presents. To the left of the bookcase was a set of grey file cabinets like the seat she was sitting on. [2]

Turning in her chair, Harle noticed the long row of windows opposite of her and the door. "Nice view." The room looked out into the school's courtyard, in the middle looming a beautiful, yet young, crepe myrtle tree. "How old is this school?"

The blonde looked around the monitor again. "Probably a decade or so," he answered and then turned back to his work, the sound of keys being pressed in a rapid fashion practically echoing in the near-silent room. The only other thing that was making noise was the air conditioner positioned above the large windows.

After a while of silence, the bored goddess got up and walked around to the dragon's desk and watched him work. It didn't take long to get tired of that as well and she began to look around his room again. She noticed a picture of a python on one of the walls and laughed inwardly. She also saw strange and random muggle paintings and posters on the walls, but recognized a few things from their wizarding world that was seemingly harmless and matched the strangeness of the room. And strangely enough, as if he did this himself, Harle noticed how the floor was dotted with black and white tiles. She doubted that the school funded this. In fact, she doubted he paid for it either. She turned back to the blonde and opened the top right drawer to his desk with a hunch and found the wand she had come too acquainted with. She picked it up and prodded him in the shoulder. When he turned toward her, his gaze immediately fell on the wand in her hand and smirked.

"I remember that thing." He looked up at her and added. "I'm sure you do too."

Harle wrinkled her nose and slid into Draco's lap as he drew her down by encircling her waist. "Of course I do. I think I still have a bruise from our earlier duels. You were rough, Dragon."

Draco chuckled under his breath and kissed the base of her neck by her collarbone. "Am I now?"

She squirmed and turned so she was out of range of those eager lips. "Sometimes," said Harle with another wrinkle of her nose followed by a small fake pout.

Draco tightened his hold on her waist and turned her around again so he could work around her. With her still in his lap, he continued to type, using the excuse of having to see the screen to rest his head on her shoulder. She squirmed a bit before getting comfortable and leaned back against him, looking about again.

"You know, it's still strange..."

He stopped. "Strange," he repeated. "What is?"

Harle shrugged. "I don't know... I guess just how we're living. And especially getting used to this body."

The blonde looked over her shoulder to look down at her body. With a grin, he poked her in the chest. "Oh, you mean this?"

Harle squeaked and stepped his foot, glaring at him. "Hey, they may not originally have been mine, but I can still feel it when I'm like this."

Draco nodded and smiled apologetically. He remembered. In their seventh and last year of school at Hogwarts, Harle came to be by accident. Well, maybe not actually have been an accident, but that's how it's been referred to. Accident or not, he was happy it happened and result of it all. He's been happy ever since. Of course, Harle isn't permanent. Harle could go back to being the true love he'd grown to care for. [3]

"Don't worry, Harry, it's just temporary. And think: we're only keeping you like this for another nine months. We've need to make that darn stick positive first, remember?" said the blonde, using the goddess' real name. They had decided that in the periods she was a girl, they would refer to her as Harle, never mentioning her real name. And even though it was a risk, he used it here on public grounds, chancing getting heard by a passing student.

Harle nodded and sighed heavily. "It's still embarrassing. At least this way it's one-hundred percent ours." As she turned and leaned her head against his, she added in a whisper, "Tonight is the night."

The dragon grinned like a wolf and kissed her. "You sure?"

Harle pulled back and glanced behind her before replying, "We've tangoed before when I'm like this."

"Not as fun, though, when you're yourself, huh?" he slipped in before kissing her again.

Harle blushed a deep red. "Gosh, Draco, must you say such things in public! We may be by ourselves but you have your door wide open to wandering students. You're lucky we're not back _home_ where anyone could walk in on our conversations and we wouldn't even know it. For all we know, they could be _invisible_."

Draco laughed and kissed her again. "You're such a girl, Harle."

"Well, what else do I look like?"

"I swear you've been hanging around your bookworm friend too long. At least her husband's dumb enough." He suddenly broke off with a high yelp. "Ow! Harle, let go of my ear!"

Harle sat sideways in Draco's lap and glared at him while pinching and pulling his left ear to the side. "Not until you take that back."

The blonde winced. "Take what bac— Ow! You mean about Weasley? Ow! Okay, of course about him. Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have insulted him." He looked up at her pleadingly. "Is that better? Could you let go of my ear, please?"

Harle answered him with a hard squeeze and jerk before letting him go. "You shouldn't have done it in the first place. Draco, I know you don't really mean bad, but they're my best friends. It hurts when you speak wrongly of them. Old habits die hard, you know, no matter how long it's been, especially when concerning people I care for."

The dragon nursed his red ear. "Bloody hell, Harle, that hurt."

"It better have." In second thought, she added, "But I'm sorry. I can make you feel better."

She leaned forward, bracing herself by resting her hands on his shoulders, and flicked her tongue out to his ear. She was rewarded with a suppressed moan from the blonde. She knew the only reason he wasn't complete mush in her hands already was because of the students or other teachers who might walk in on them. She hesitated for a moment at that thought, but ignored it, chancing getting in trouble. After all, what else did she do at school? Stay still like a good little girl and do her homework on time and stay out of trouble? No, that was Hermione's job. Her own was getting her friends and herself _into_ trouble. She had a knack for attracting trouble.

She nibbled on his lobe and flicked her tongue out again before he turned his head to meet her lips. She shifted and let her lips descend on his. It was light at first, but then Draco drew her closer and deepened and extended it. They only drew back when they ran out of breath, pulling back to pant. Harle smiled down at the blonde and reached behind the blonde's head to pull out the tie that held it in place. Silky pale blonde hair pooled around his shoulders and slipped through her fingers. Distracted by its softness, she ran her fingers through it. A finger drew her back to the beautiful face of her lover and they fell back into a kiss, her left hand entwined in his hair while his hands were settled back at her waist.

Their kiss was cut short as whispers, whistles, and a deliberately loudly cleared throat. Breaking apart, they whirled to see Draco's students crowded in the doorway, staring at them. A handful of girls were whispering, while the rest were either crying or looking like they were about to. The boys, however either gave Draco's an approving look or just didn't look interested. Harle dared to guess which of them were gay and which were typical jocks.

Draco turned to Harle and tapped on her hipbone to draw her attention. As her emerald eyes met his, he nodded and eased her off him, getting up with her to address his students. "All right, stop your gawking and get to your seats." With a look, he got the teenagers to rush to their seats, even the weepy girls who probably would've taken their time and created a lake in the classroom. "And find some tissues before you spread your snot and germs."

Turning to Harle, he took back his hair tie and drew back his hair, smiling at her. He whispered to her, "You might as well take some papers and busy yourself. I doubt you'll be getting a lot of attention from me while these brats are in here."

Harle smiled back and nodded, moving over to the table and sitting back in the plastic chair. She organized the papers and set to work, pulling out a red pen from the canister at the edge of the table. She felt the eyes of a handful of students on her, especially one that she felt as a glare. She didn't bother to look up though. She couldn't distract herself or them as Draco walked to the front of the class with a stack of orange paper in his hand.

"Don't go easy on the grading," he addressed her as he made it to the front.

Harle looked up from the first report she had picked up. With a smile, she responded, "How about I grade like Professor Snape?"

The blonde snorted. "Not like that prune. Don't grade them that hard or they'll all fail!"

"Of course," said the goddess with a chuckle as she bent her head and continued to work, hoping and knowing Draco would draw all the attention back toward him.

Having a knack for drawing attention toward himself, Draco had his students hooked on whatever he said, passing a few jokes between them, acting more like their best friend than their teacher. Harle couldn't help smiling through it all because she was happy for the improvement he had made. Throughout all her years in knowing the blonde, he was uptight and kept to himself whenever he wasn't sneering and throwing insults at everyone from the other Houses at their school. When they finally came together, he started to open up. It was wonderful. There were a lot of ups and downs, but she loved the experience. It was probably the only reason why she didn't clobber the person who caused her misfortune in the first place.

* * *

By the end of the day, Harle got to see the dragon work. She helped with his papers while he taught class, and interacted with the students whenever he left to run a few errands or take a trip to the lavatory. Several girls asked if she was Draco's girlfriend, and she denied it. They all stared at her in confusion and shock when she also denied being his fiancée. She nearly laughed at their choice of words and the expressions on their face. Too bad she couldn't voice any hints of the truth to confuse them even more before the blonde came back in on their chatter, setting them back to work and admonishing Harle for distracting them.

Harle had fun; she told Draco of her feelings after school, after Draco had his tutoring session. She helped out as well, giving a few pointers in different subjects here and there, but pretty much let the blonde handle the kids. Even in tutoring they tried to pry some information out of her about their love life. She had to admit, it was rather amusing, but she promised that she wouldn't say anything trivial about them and spread gossip around the school. The blonde had brought it to her attention what would happen to his reputation at this school and how she would be portrayed whenever she visited by whatever she said to the students and however they chose to interpret it and spread it around. They didn't doubt that by now, after the first day here, all the students taking his class were talking about her right now.

As they rode on the train back home, Harle had Draco tell her all about what he did at school. It wasn't often that they talked about each other's jobs, especially with Draco working in a muggle school. The fact that he was, was at first very surprising and glorious. It took Harle many, many tries to get him to be nicer toward muggle things and the people alone. It was a big step for him to be surrounded by a bunch of them and their kids and teach them. She was proud of him, and glad he was working hard at his job, no matter what quirks the school came up with to drop on him that irked him. Draco kept their muggle money going while she worked in the wizarding world. Though they were both a very rich couple, both by themselves and together, they decided to keep money coming in. Never would they've just lived off of what they received from their parents without something to replace what they took.

And despite their funds, they lived in a small starter home. Harle said that they could've just lived in an apartment, but Draco argued that moving to a small home was bad enough for him, having grown up in a mansion and used to wide spaces. The train, luckily, stopped just a block away from their home, the distance bearable for Draco at the end of each day. Walking beside him was a routine Harle could look forward to. It was too bad she didn't start this earlier.

The goddess looped her arm through the dragon's, as they came to their street and made their way to the front door. Since he carried more of their things, she opened the door for him and escorted him to the dining room. She immediately went to the kitchen and got her lover a glass of water, pouring from a clear pitcher that filtered the tap water.

"Did you want tea?" she asked as she handed him the glass of water.

The blonde sipped at the water and placed the glass down on the table before picking up a stack of papers. "Sure. You're not making that oriental tea, are you?"

Harle went back into the kitchen and started up the kettle as she called back, hearing the padded footsteps of the blonde's feet on the carpet. "Of course I am. It's good for you. It neutralizes your stomach and makes digestion easier. And knowing you, you need as much relaxation as possible."

"And where did you learn this?" drifted the blonde's voice as he came back for the rest of the papers. He sorted them, putting all the graded papers on the bottom of the pile before making his way back to his study.

"From Hermione. Her mum and her family went to Korea, Japan and even the Philippines when she was younger. 'Mione learned a bit from her and went to China to learn about the Wall there when she was still in muggle schooling. I think she said that she was in fifth grade."

"Fifth grade? What's that?"

Harle looked over her shoulder to see Draco standing by the table drinking water with his brows raised expectantly. Shooting him an incredulous look, she replied, "You teach in a muggle school and you don't know what fifth grade is? Well, for us, it would be the year before our First Year. Basically, when she was ten or eleven. In the muggle world, you don't start school on your birthday. It's a bit different." Glancing over her shoulder again, she shrugged and the intent look she received. "It's kind of hard to explain to a witch or wizard who's lived their entire like in the wizarding world. School starts when you're five or six. For muggles, that is their First Year. It continues on until they're eighteen in grade twelve, or Year Seven for us, only their schooling extends farther than ours. They also have to go to another school after all that, which they call College."

Harle paused as she heard the groan behind her. Turning around, she spotted the blonde at the sink, washing his glass and setting it on the drying rack. "You muggles have things so complicated. I'm _glad_ I was born and raised a proper wizard, not surrounded by all these muggles and muggle things like you or your friends, especially Weasley who's father is practically obsessed with muggles. He might as well keep one as a pet."

The goddess shook her head and turned back around, opening a cupboard to pull out the tea. While depositing the right amount of leaves in the cup, she continued the conversation. "I like it that I learned about magic. Even if half my life I was shoved under the stairs in a closet, I enjoyed going to Hogwarts and learning. Sure, every year I nearly died, but overall I loved being there." She chuckled. "Even if I had to deal with you every day, always trying to step on my toes."

Arms wrapped around her waist and a light kiss was placed on her neck. "So did I. Though I was certainly more fortunate than you — I surely was not shoved in a closet and forced to wear oversized clothes — I liked coming to school to see you everyday."

Harle tilted her head to the side to give him more room. "You certainly had a funny way of showing it."

Draco snorted, accidentally tickling her. "I was young, okay? I wasn't allowed to love, and most certainly not with you. Maybe I wanted to hate you for how you affected me... Who knows? Either way, I love you."

She clicked her tongue. "Where have I heard that before?"

"Somewhere from our distant past that I don't want to think about. Now's important, so let's make it count."

Harle twisted around in his grip and tapped him on the nose. "Have you been reading muggle romance novels? ...Are you snooping around my bookshelves again!"

Draco bent down to kiss the young woman as he answered, "There's been no 'snooping' whatsoever, love. Why would I need to? All the things you read are rubbish anyhow. We live in reality; we're what matter. ...You and I."

Harle sighed in exasperation. "Oh gosh, you _have_ been reading my books. I hope you didn't bend the corner of the pages. Those books were hard to find! So they better not be distributed to your students or ruined for that matter, or you'll have to replace it."

He laughed and buried his face in her hair, kissing the top of her head. "Magic, Harle. Remember, we're wizards. I could always use magic."

She rested her head on his shoulder and kissed the exposed skin of his collarbone. "Magic, magic, magic... Let's _make_ magic."

Lips interlocked, breaths held until the sound of a high-pitched whistle interrupted them. Green eyes were dazed; lust lay deep within them. Clearing her throat awkwardly, Harle turned back around and prepared the tea, settling into her lover's embrace as he watched her. He only let her go when she had to move about to the sink and was given the tea mug.

"You. I want you to go back to work. Finish grading those papers of yours. I need the kitchen and if you keep kissing me and distracting me, I'll either burn myself or the food."

Blonde brows rose at the order. "You want me to work? Are you sure? I thought..."

A finger stopped him from continuing. "Yes, I know. But not now, okay? It's still early, and I need to make dinner before you start mauling me." The look in her eyes was the only clue of the lust she felt and the betrayal of her words.

Draco couldn't help but laugh and kiss the goddess on top of her head before obliging, disappearing into his study on the other side of the house. Whatever she was planning later, he'd find out in due time. For now, he would do as she said and continue grading those reports. He had enough time to finish a majority of his papers before the smell of cooked food seeped under his door and reached his nose. Their time together has given him enough time to be surprised by a variety of Harle's skills, one of them being cooking. Walking out of his study, he let his nose lead him to the dining room hosting a rectangular mahogany table big enough for six. Though they never had that many guests over before, it was still good to have such a big table, Harle suggested. At least they could always change it to a small square table fit for a maximum of four people with a wave of the wand whenever they liked.

Now, there was a newly cooked meal sitting in front of him, twin candles flanking the meal. Silverware and a clean china plate lay on a handmade forest green placemat, accompanied by a clear wineglass. The glass was filled with red wine. From the look of things, and judging the atmosphere, he could tell how much effort was put into this meal and the feelings behind it. With a chuckle, the blonde dared to think for a moment that he was about to be poisoned or drugged. Well, if there really was something in his food, he knew he wouldn't be murdered, especially if Harle was the one cooking. He'd be more worried about her slipping something in to entice him.

Bare feet on the tiled floor let Draco know of the approaching figure. Slowly turning with a smirk on his lips, he caught sight of the obsidian-haired goddess who prepared this glorious meal for him. She was wiping her hands on a towel, an apron adorning her front. He drew her into a tight hug, whispering his thanks in her ear. He received a giggle in return, and was joined at the table. She removed her apron and set it aside with her towel, but did not eat with him as he sat down and stared down at his food.

Noticing his plate being the only one present on the table, he looked up from the table to stare at her questioningly. Harle smiled and replied, "I already ate while I was cooking. This is all for you. I'm gonna sit here and watch you eat. Please tell me you like it."

Draco nodded and picked up his fork, picking at a vegetable and popping into his mouth. As soon as the delicacy touched his tongue, he closed his eyes and sighed in contentment. He opened his eyes again when he finished chewing and swallowing the vegetable, and reached out with his other hand to take hers, squeezing it gently to show his approval. As a smile was turned his way, he continued to eat, keeping one hand around hers as he ate with the other. He didn't even let go of her hand when he sipped at his wine. He licked his lips after tasting the wine and once again threw his love a curious look.

"You don't remember it? Hermione and Ron gave it to us. They said that they chose it especially for us, and whatever occasion we might think of. There's a whole bottle left that we can share later."

The hint in Harle's words made the blonde grin wolfishly and lift her hand to his lips to kiss the back. He didn't need words to express himself now. He ate as quickly as he could without risking a stomach ache and still savoring the food he was presented. He licked his lips as he drained the glass, the act slow and sensual just to look at. Harle couldn't resist herself as those silver eyes turned to meet hers, and stood up and leaned over the table, running her tongue over his reddened lips.

The dragon reached up and caught her braid as it fell over her shoulder. Standing up as well, he led them to the master's bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them, all the while walking backwards. He slipped an arm around her waist and fell back onto the queen-sized bed in the middle of the room. Harle squeaked and the sudden change of elevation, but quickly got comfortable, partially sliding off him so that her heard resting on his shoulder, her hand idly stoking his chest.

Still holding her braid, Draco kissed the top of the goddess' head, drawing her closer. He whispered into her hair, "I love you."

Harle lifted her head and kiss his wine-flavored lips, whispering back, "I know. And I you."

The blonde grinned and returned the kiss, easing his tongue into her mouth to dance with hers. He drew his body out from underneath her and straddled her hips. When he disengaged the kiss, they were both panting for breath. He rested his forehead against hers for a moment, locking gazes. Harle cupped the sides of his face.

"Draco, dear?"

"Yeah?" he breathed out.

"Do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Satisfy me."

"Always," was the last sensible word that came out of either of their mouths that night.

* * *

Harle tossed a small bag at the blonde as he shoved a pile of papers in his book bag. He deftly caught and stared at it, looking up at her. "What's this?"

Harle wiped her hands on a towel and slung it over her shoulder as she approached him. "Muggles call it a 'fluffer nutter'."

The blonde threw her an incredulous look. "A what?!"

She pecked him on the cheek. "It's marshmallow and peanut butter on white bread. Try it at lunch, I'm sure you'll like it."

"And where did you find this concoction?" he dared to ask as he rammed it in his bag as well, setting it on top a pile of light-green paper.

"The internet."

"That muggle contraption? It's not reliable. For all we know, I could fall dead from this thing."

"Oh, no, you won't," said the goddess, slapping him on the arm lightly. "I've had one before, and I'm standing right here in front of you, so there can't be a way you can die from it."

Draco clicked his tongue and shook his head, grinning. "All right, all right, I'll eat it. But if I don't come home tonight, then you know the reason."

Harle laughed and nodded, shooing him off. She received a kiss on the cheek before he waved goodbye and walked to the train station to work. He smiled to himself as he disappeared out of her eyesight and quickened his step, glancing at his watch. He was still getting used to the simple and (simultaneously) complicated life of non-magical humans. Instead of flying on a broomstick, he had to walk to the train to get from place to place, or else walk all the way there himself. He had to use keys, computers, manual doors and of the like to get around and function at school. It was strange at first, but he had his goddess to help him start off. He learned quickly about the life they would be living in for a while. At first he was against living with muggles, but gave in when Harle insisted. He would always want her to be comfortable and if it meant going against his better judgment and live with a bunch of buffoons, he would.

As the train arrived, Draco did a quick check of his things before boarding, sitting in his usual spot by himself near the door. He threw his things onto the seat next to him and rotated his shoulders. When the train stopped again, people boarded and left, but he sat still, leaning back as he waited for the train to start up again. His stop was next.

Someone nudged his foot, causing him to look up. To his surprise, it was his student, Nathaniel, and another teen at his elbow. Sitting up, he addressed them, "Hello, Nathaniel. Did you need something?"

Nathaniel, a smart young man with brown hair and blue-green eyes, half smiled back. "Mind we sit across from you?"

Draco retracted his stretched-out legs and nodded. "Go ahead." He watched a moment as the two teens sat down together before turning to his bag and pulling out a few papers, pausing when he saw the sandwich. With a snort and an inward smile, he continued to pull out the green papers and checked them over with an answer key. Being young and new, some of the older and veteran teachers helped him with tips to make his life easier. He had picked up on the answer key thing and used it often on small quizzes that were just multiple choice. His quizzes were hard, don't confuse him for Harry, but they were sometimes short. On the longer quizzes, he used a bit of magic to cut back on time. And to think that the other teachers kept asking him what his secret was for staying awake and the same everyday, getting his papers to the kids on time. Well, Draco wasn't about to tell them he was a wizard.

"Are those our quizzes on Anne Frank?" Nathaniel asked after a long moment of watching his teacher grade the papers.

Slightly startled at suddenly being addressed, Draco looked up with his eyebrows raised. _The Diary of a Young Girl_ by Anne Frank was a novel required by the school system. It wasn't long ago when they were reading it. Draco nodded. "Yes, they are."

"Have you graded mine yet?"

Draco smirked. "Perhaps. It doesn't matter, though, because you're getting them in class like everyone else."

When the young brunette tried to suppress a pout, Draco tried to suppress a laugh, lowering his head to hide it as he continued to work. When the train came to a stop, he exited by the door to his right, noting Nathaniel and his friend getting off with him. Draco didn't pay too much attention to them and quickly made his way to the school building. He nodded to some of the other teachers. As he went in to the office to pick up any paperwork he either left or was given, the young female secretary filing papers greeted him. She smiled shyly at him, but didn't dare make a pass. The teachers knew that he had a lover, especially the younger workers in the school, and didn't waste time trying to get closer to him than necessary. Though they didn't know who it was, nor the gender (which was strange with all the gossip the students spread), they still knew. And thankfully, the older men and women had better things to do than try and molest or bother him.

After picking up his papers, he headed for his classroom, taking the scenic route, letting the students walk with him a bit and say hello. He stopped by another teacher's room to deliver a paper and check on a teacher meeting, but otherwise kept to the same route going to his classroom. School started and ended the same as usual, Draco going home after a session of tutoring. However, on his train ride home, he met up with Nathaniel again. Instead of the boy getting off where he got on earlier that morning, he followed Draco off at his stop. At the station, Draco asked him about this.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just wanted to accompany you. Would it be all right if I walk with you?" answered the teen.

Draco stared at the brunette before shrugging. "I suppose not. You can join us for dinner if you want to stay for a while. But after that, we'll have to send you home. Didn't you miss your stop back there?"

"Yeah," the brunette answered as he followed the blonde out of the station and onto the street, filling in the silence that Draco provided with random chatter.

When Draco came to the front gate, he stopped just inside to spot a familiar young woman with her back turned to them, tending to the garden in front of their house. Holding up his hand for Nathaniel to stop, he shifted his belongings and approached the woman as she stood up, wrapping an arm around her growing belly and another over her eyes. She squeaked and quickly turned around, grabbing him in a good headlock and knocking the back of his knees to force him to kneel. It took a moment to see who she had just captured and she immediately let go.

"Oh my gosh! Draco! What are you doing startling me like that!"

Draco laughed and straightened himself out, standing up again to take in his lover. "I can't believe you still are that quick. You should go easy for a while on the headlock stuff. You're not wresting with the Weasleys. Nor are you in _training_."

"Training?" Harle repeated. As she caught on, she groaned and dusted her hands on her legs. "Oh, jeez, I don't want to go back to that. Stop bringing it up." She paused when she spotted the brunette lurking at the gate. With a smile, she maneuvered pass the blonde and held out a hand to the boy. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met. Are you one of Draco's students?"

Nathaniel offered a meek smile in return. "Uh, Nathaniel, ma'am. And yes, I am. I'm in his class at lunch hour."

Harle suddenly blushed. "Oh, so then you were... Well, that was a bad way to introduce myself."

Draco stood beside her and laid a hand on her waist. "But it wasn't your fault. I'm just bloody irresistible."

Harle pushed him away with a snort. "You wish." To Nathaniel, she added, "Come on in. I'm sure you're tired of filling all the silence Draco provides every time you try to have a decent conversation with him. Did you want some tea and pastry?"

Nathaniel nodded out of habit. He was used to being over at a classmate's house to tutor them and whenever their parents offered tea or something to eat, he just automatically nodded and accepted. Now was no different when he followed the couple inside their house, watching and feeling a bit out of place as his teacher disappeared into a room on the other side of the house while the woman headed for the kitchen and started up the kettle and pulled a few pastries out of the breadbox.

When Draco came back from across the house, he spotted the food and tea cups on the table. Smirking as he sat down, gesturing for the brunette to join him, he called to Harle, "You really are a mother figure. Such a wonderful woman."

Harle threw a used dishcloth at him, landing it on his head. "Gohly! Would you stop! You're bloody lucky I'm a woman or else I'd kick your bloody arse up to the bloomin' moon."

Draco laughed and tossed the towel back, grinning as he brought his cup to his mouth. He grimaced when he tasted it. Turning back to the goddess, he cried, "Did you give me that oriental tea again!"

Harle joined the two men at the table with her own cup of tea. Sipping at it, she answered, "Of course I did. For the millionth time it's good for you!" She turned to Nathaniel. "Nathaniel, tell me what you think of it."

Nathaniel tasted the tea while both adults stared at him in anticipation. The tea was strange and new, but he didn't totally dislike it. He set down his cup before answering. "I don't dislike it, though it's weird tasting. Where's it from?"

Harle smiled. "Asia. You can easily find Japanese people drinking it. It's green tea. I have some jasmine tea if you'd like to try it." She poked the blond on the arm and threw him a triumphant grin. "See? It's not all that bad."

Draco snorted and swatted her hand away. "Yeah, he may not hate it, but he said it tasted weird."

Harle snorted in return drinking her tea. "That's because he's not used to the taste. All people who aren't used to drinking green tea find the taste weird. _I_ did. Draco, if you find it too strong I can give you my jasmine tea instead. Here." She set down her cup and pushed it a bit in his direction.

Draco shook his head. "I don't want your tea." He pushed it back. "I bet it tastes worst."

"It does not!" Shaking her head, Harle turned to Nathaniel who had yet to participate much in their conversation. "We must sound and act like a 50-year-old couple, don't we?"

Nathaniel shook his head automatically. "No. You just act like you really love each other."

Harle blushed and nodded while Draco chuckled and swallowed some of his tea. There was a lot of talking and laughs during dinner, Nathaniel having helped Harle prepare it while Draco worked at his papers in his study. Nathaniel, he admitted, was a little hostile toward her, prejudging her as one of those females on television that took advantage of good teachers. Harle only smiled and chuckled at his protectiveness for his teacher, understanding how he cared for him. She told him that she had read his report on magicians and the world being a big magic trick, full of surprises, whether they were bad or good.

Nathaniel and Harle were on good terms the entire evening. He even dared to ask her if she was pregnant and she agreed. She was several months into it already, and the doctors had stated it was going to be a boy. Nathaniel congratulated her and wished her a healthy baby. Harle blushed at his words, what more being startled at Draco's sudden appearance in the kitchen to get a glass of water, walking in on their conversation. He kissed her on the cheek before leaving with his glass of water, drawing another question from Nathaniel. He asked how long they had been together, and Harle laughed and smiled when she answered with "Only three to four years, if you asking on when we became a couple." Nathaniel asked how long they had known each other, and received another smile along with a surprising answer of "Since we were eleven."

"So you two were childhood friends?"

Draco had come back at this moment to get rid of his empty glass of water. He laughed when he heard the question. "Friends? No. That would've been amazing and a damn miracle if we were even friends then."

"Why?" asked Nathaniel with a furrow of his brows, confused at the answer.

Harle nudged Draco with her foot as he stared down at what she was cooking. "Draco and I hated each other all through school. When we were seventeen, though, we started to see that we liked each other. It never would've happened if not for a few..._friends_."

Draco snorted and sneaked a piece of food right off the pot while his love's back was turned for a moment. He grinned at Nathaniel as the boy blinked at him, and walked off without a word of his theft. Nathaniel didn't tell Harle about the blonde snatching food, instead continuing to help her cook. Sometimes he caught himself staring at her instead of watching what she was making, captured by her simple beauty and grace. Though, at times, she seemed a bit of a klutz, she always carried an air of someone with experience in no definable way. She alone looked pretty mediocre with the house they lived in and the way she dressed, but the way she moved and worked with her hands told him of how knowledgeable and experienced she was with a variety of things. Her eyes just by themselves told him that she had seen and done many things, maybe some of them extraordinary and even frightening.

Nathaniel smiled to himself as he helped this earthbound goddess set the table for the three of them, wondering how long it had been since he'd felt like he was part of a loving family. Too long. As he carried a heavy platter from the counter to the table, he dared once again to ask another personal question.

"Miss Harle?"

Harle looked up and over her shoulder from where she was washing the dishes in the sink. "Call me Harle, dear. And what did you need?"

Nathaniel walked back into the kitchen and pulled out something to drink for all of them. "Um, H-Harle, I was just wondering... What were you going to name your kid?"

Harle turned back to her dishes and hummed as she thought. "I haven't really thought about it, but I suppose I could call him Hikaru, but that's Japanese and probably too hard for his friends and teachers to remember, so maybe Malachi," she said after a long moment's thought. She laughed and added, "Or maybe I can name him after you: Nathaniel."

Nathaniel blushed at the thought of his teacher's lover naming their child after him. "Uh, you don't have to. You s-should name you child something special that both you and Mr. Malfoy have thought of and agreed on," he stuttered in embarrassment.

Harle smiled as she turned around and wiped her hands dry on another towel. "You're sweet, Nathaniel. Thank you."

Nathaniel quickly turned away to hide his blush, going back to the table to pour the drinks.

* * *

Nathaniel visited Draco and Harle often over the next few months, it becoming a routine for him to help Harle with her daily chores and make things a bit easier for her as he belly slowly grew. Her movements slowed, and by the sixth and seventh month into her pregnancy, Nathaniel had basically taken over her duties, cooking under her watchful eye. He grew used to cooking with her and learned a lot, so whenever she had to sit down and rest, he was trusted enough not to burn the food. And not only was he helping Harle out, he was also receiving special tutoring sessions from both her and his teacher whenever he wasn't grading papers in his study. Of course Draco didn't trust him enough to grade papers with him, but he did allow the boy to get a sneak peek at his grade before others. Some students at school who knew about their arrangement poked at Nathaniel for being a "teacher's pet", but when he didn't seem effected by their taunts, they stopped, not bothering to spread the news around. All the students liked Draco as their teacher, and no one wanted to ruin his reputation even if it was to get a crack and Nathaniel. There were a few questions raised on getting special tutoring like Nathaniel, and Draco allowed the kids to call him from after school till a certain time to get advice from him on his subject and even others just to make them quiet.

This arrangement made him have to use a few more spells to spend more time with his students' needs, but didn't mind as much as Harle imagined. She was happy that he was more open and willing to talk to his students, and didn't mind when he took phone calls after she retired to bed. He apologized every time he had to wake her up and take a call, but she reasoned that it was all right, that her pregnancy was the cause. Draco still apologized for disturbing her from her sleep, since it was precious for the baby, and had to enforce the time limit that he took calls. Without revealing too much about Harle, since the baby was supposed to be a secret to his school and students, he got the students to believe that he needed his sleep and if he didn't get enough hours, he would be cranky and wouldn't get their papers to them on time, thus risking them of knowing if they were failing or not.

Halfway into the eighth month, school was out for a holiday. All week Nathaniel spent his time with Harle and Draco, helping out around the house and with whatever needs Harle requested. He took her out to walk sometimes, just for a little while, to get her moving a bit so that her muscles didn't turn so weak by the time she was ready to deliver and had to lie around the hospital in recovery. All during the eighth month of her pregnancy, Nathaniel spent a lot of time with them, going home late by cab instead of train. Harle worried over his safety, going home alone in a cab at such a dangerous hour at night, and tried to get Draco to join him, but Nathaniel convinced her that he was fine and always would be. It was her he was more worried about, he had said.

On the last day of the holiday, Nathaniel was tending to Harle's garden until he was called in to wash up and help her cook. Draco, all during the holiday, didn't spend as much time with the two as usual, having been piled with work from school and having to take constant trips to the school. He vocalized his wish to be with them more often, but he needed to work hard if he wanted to give her as much luxury as possibly. He'd spend a fortune on the baby if it meant that both mother and child were safe and healthy.

As the end of the day came and night rolled in, Nathaniel called a cab and set off for home as usual. Draco saw him off for Harle and waited until he couldn't see the car anymore before heading back in to his love. He found her in bed, watching the television set facing the foot of the bed. He climbed into bed, sitting at the edge and entwining their hands. He kissed the back of her hand and told her that Nathaniel left. She nodded and squeezed in response.

"He's nice. He kind of reminds me of you, how you are now."

"Me?" Draco repeated incredulously. "How so?"

Green eyes met his. "You're kind to me, Draco. You've been kind to me since we've gotten together, and your gentleness is reflected in him. He reminds me of your gentleness and kindness towards me. If I didn't know better, I would say he was your innocent, maybe even perhaps our son, what he would grow up to be."

"That's nice, but he isn't our son."

Harle nodded and turned back toward the television. "I know. I'm just thinking like a mother would, I guess. I mean, I'm nearly due, aren't I?"

Draco nodded and lightly rested his head on her shoulder. "A few more weeks."

The rest of the night was spent watching television for another half-hour and sleeping. The next day, Harle received terrible news at the end of the day from Draco. When Nathaniel went home last night, the driver fell asleep at the wheel and ran off the street into a body of water. Nathaniel had fallen asleep as well, and it took him far too long to get out of the car to be saved. His lungs had been filled with water and too late to be saved by the time the ambulance came by, the phone call made by a fellow driver who was behind them. The driver's body had been retrieved an hour later, and the cab was hauled out of the water. It anything, there wasn't much that any of them could do to save either of them.

Harle was depressed the rest of the day and several days afterwards. She had grown fond of Nathaniel, so used to him being there by her side. Now, with him gone, Harle felt like she had lost another friend. Though there were years apart, she and Nathaniel had become pretty good friends, helping each other any way they could. Harle was going to miss the boy, that she knew for sure, but at least she knew she couldn't forget about him. looking down at her stomach on a lazy afternoon, she smiled and decided with a nod: This child would be named Nathaniel. If not his first name, somehow it would be incorporated in his full name.

When Harle was sent to the hospital to prepare for delivery, Draco had rushed out of school to meet her, snagging a substitute for his classes. When he met her in the room, he say down beside her bed, holding her hand.

"How are you doing?" he asked, kissing her palm.

Harle smiled tiredly. "I'm fine, just tired." After a thought, she said, "Draco?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what we're naming him?" she inquired, turning her head slightly. When Draco shook his head, she answered, "Nathaniel. We should name him Nathaniel. Is that all right with you?"

The blonde smiled and nodded. "I thought you were going to name him Malachi?"

"He can still be called Malachi. It can be his first name if you want. I just wanted 'Nathaniel' to be in there somewhere."

Draco chuckled and nodded again. "Sure. It'll be his middle name. You miss him a lot, don't you?" he added.

Smiling, she nodded and squeezed his hand, closing her eyes as well to rest until the due time. She knew Draco would stay with her through it all, so she had nothing to worry about. Draco wouldn't do if anything happened during the delivery. She laughed inwardly at the thought and good chance of her love suing the building or else changing all the doctors and nurses in this hospital into roaches or some kind of crawly bug for him to step on with great joy.

Draco sat by the goddess' side throughout the day, never chancing falling asleep incase they took her to another room to deliver without him knowing. By the time the hour came for her to deliver, Draco was there to hold her hand and give her as much support as possible. He was a bit squeamish at first, but when he turned to stare at her face, getting her to look at him every once in a while, he was fine, knowing she was as well.

"Mr. Malfoy? Your son."

Draco quickly turned to see a female nurse hold up such a tiny human being in her arms, wrapped in a towel. "Oh, god..." he muttered, uncertainly taking the baby from her.

"He's healthy," the nurse continued as the baby cried in his arms. She smiled and nodded reassuringly at him when he looked up at her in half panic. "We'll get you to fill out those papers later."

"S-Sure," Draco managed, keeping his eyes glued on the infant in his arms. He turned to Harle after a while and kissed her forehead, brushing a piece of sweat-soaked hair out of her face.

Green eyes opened slowly to meet his, and a smile spread on her face as she took in the child he held. Reaching out, she took it in her arms and cradled it to her chest.

"Oh, gosh... Here he is, Draco," she whispered, eyes riveted on her son. "Malachi... Nathaniel... Malfoy."

"Yeah," the blonde nodded, standing by her beside to take in the sight of them both.

* * *

A blonde haired man stretched and reclined in the lawn chair. Crossing his arms, he dared to dose off when someone nudged his foot. Frowning, he opened his eyes to see a runts gathering at his feet. He recognized one of them as his own brat and snorted, wiggling his foot out of their grasp. The runts squealed and threw themselves at him, a pair of them landing on his stomach. With a "oof!", they managed to knock him out of the chair.

"Draco!!"

From his position on the grass with little kids swarming him, he looked up to see a familiar head of short unruly black hair and a pair of green eyes set behind a pair of frames. The blonde grinned and gestured awkwardly to the kids who tackled him and caused another whoosh of air to escape him.

Harry shook his head and returned to the table where a majority of the other adults were sitting, eating lunch and chattering to each other. Harry sat down by Blaise and earned a nudge in the ribs and a roar or laughter. Lifting a brow, he stared questioningly at the other dark-haired man.

"What?"

Blaise shook his head. "Draco's sure makes a good father, huh?" He glanced over his shoulder to see the blonde man wrestle with the children, yelping when one of the girls tugged at his ponytail. "He's still got a lot to learn, though," he laughed.

Harry laughed as well. "Yeah. It's kind of hard to believe that not but a few years ago we were still spitting venom at each other."

"You two have made great progress, Harry," a brunette woman cut in with a smile.

Harry turned to the woman and smiled thankfully. "Thanks, 'Mione." He looked back at the kids and added, "You and Ron have come along as well. I still can't believe you have managed two kids!"

Hermione blushed and glanced at her husband who was pink around the ears. "Thank you, Harry. They're a pair of tenacious kids, I'll admit. I think they got it from their father."

Harry chuckled. "Actually, I would think they got it from you."

The brunette blushed while another voice cut in. "I second that."

Harry turned around to see Draco approach them with all the kids latched onto him, his son looped under his arm. All the adults laughed at the sight as the girl on his other arm reached behind him and pulled at his hair. Draco grimaced and sighed heavily. As he neared Harry, he bent down and kissed him on his head and delivered their son to him.

"I hope we never have these many brats." To Hermione, he added, "Granger, please detach your kids from my legs. I can barely walk."

Hermione apologized and coached her two children to sit down by her and Ron. Neville picked up the girl still sitting on Draco's arm with his hair in her little hands. The couple had adopted her, picking her carefully to match their physical appearances. Neville knew of Harry's gender changing and didn't dare go through what he went through, the very thought making him sweaty and nervous. Blaise didn't like the idea of putting Neville through that, or even himself, so they decided adopting would be fine just the same.

Once in Harry's arms, Malachi settled down, sneaking food into his mouth as the adults talked. Next thing Harry knew, almost half of his plate was already empty, his son sitting in his lap with a full stomach and mouth. Guessing where it went, he poked the boy's bulging cheeks and chuckled as a bit of food started to fall out of his mouth.

"Natty, what did I tell you about stuffing your face?" [4]

The little boy looked up at him and smiled with his mouth full. Before he answered, he had enough manners to swallow some of it first before spilling, "Donf?"

The adults laughed at this display and looked down at their own children to see similar situations. Harry and Draco's child was the second oldest out of the four, but he acted like their leader; Damien, the eldest and Hermione's son, even followed him even though he was a year and a few months older. The other two children were girls, Neville and Blaise's adoptive daughter Sandra, and Hermione and Ron's younger child Persephone. Persephone was the same age as Nathaniel, if only a few days younger than him. The children got along great. The parents were happy of their development and they knew inwardly that they would all be sending them to the same school. Damien may go a year earlier than the rest, and Sandra a year later, but they would eventually all be in the same place, growing up together, hopefully and surely without any trouble.

When all the guests left that day, Nathaniel helped put things away like carrying two plates or glasses inside while Harry to Draco took the rest, their mate doing something outside. When everything was brought inside and all trash thrown away, the family sat down to watch a bit of television until little Natty had to fall asleep. He had his own room right by Draco's study, separated by a bathroom. When Draco worked late at night and Harry had retired to bed already, neither of the parents had to worry if something could go wrong with the child. They still worked like muggle parents and had a device to tell them if he cried or not, but on most nights, he was fine. There were times, over the past two years, when Nathaniel would get scared and run to his father's study and get him to carry him to Harry and sleep in bed with him. It was always a cute scene whenever all three of them would snuggle up to each other, Nathaniel in the middle and the center of all the attention.

It took Harry a while to get back on track and normal, exercising to keep his figure and keep from tiring easily. After a few months, Harry was able to go back to work and brought little Nathaniel with him, the other witches and wizards volunteering to look after him when he couldn't. The little boy had brought in new costumers who came especially to see him. When some of Harry's friends had heard of his child, they came right away, sometimes having long chats with him and/or Nathaniel. Harry was happy to see everyone once in a while, and set things to a lower pace while they brought up Nathaniel. It would be a while, they told each other one day, before they even considered another child. Harry had a feeling he wouldn't be able to go through the labor again.

However, he was glad of how their first child had turned out. Nathaniel had a mix of both their hair and eyes, a tiniest hint of blue like the original Nathaniel what Draco had said was from his mother's side. The boy started to show traits from both Harry and Draco as well. Taking on Harry's knack for mischief, Draco's evilness, and both of their stubbornness. Harry laughed one night when they were discussing their son's traits, on how he acted that day. When Draco didn't give his son the remote for the television, trying to insist in doing something other than vegetate his brain with "bloody mental creatures captured in a box", the boy had won with his resistant to do something like fit cubes into their proper holes and draw.

Nathaniel, they figured, would grow into a fine young man. Now, whether he grew up liking boys instead of girls, they had no say over. But whatever he chose, they would support as long as it was the best for him. They both agreed that they wanted the best for their son, and... well, when they got there, they would deal with it as best as they could, together. For now, they would just watch over their little angel.

Harry leaned his head on his lover's shoulder. In his lap was their son, Nathaniel.

"I love you, Harry."

Harry turned his head and kissed the blonde beside him. "I know. I love you too." He looked down at their son and added, "I love both of you."

Draco lightly ran a hand through his son's hair, brushing it out of his eyes. Nathaniel, he noted mentally, had gained the messy hair trait from Harry, and he knew he would be barking at him about it later on in his years. With a smile, he rested his head against Harry's. "Mine... The two of you are mine only..."

"Yeah," Harry repeated and snuggled up to his lover, drawing their son into the fold. "Always... _'Mine Only'..._"

**_La Fine....._**

* * *

AN: Yes, as I said, there's another version. What kind? A lemony version! Woo-hoo! The link to it is on my profile, so please take a look. And one a more important note— Yeesh! Portraying Harry (Harle) like that is sooo weird. It's hard not to insert Harry's name in the story and put a 'he' instead of 'she'. Meh. Draco with a femmy for a mate is strange for me. Well, please, as said before, review for this story and lend your support or whatever. Wordly donations are greatly appreciated.

[1] The strangest couple I've ever mentioned in my life... I think a Harry/Draco slash friend of mine will have approved of this. (For you, hun. wink Always thinking of ya while I write H/D yummy slashy!)

[2] This classroom is modeled after an old classroom of one of my favorite English teachers (all the way back to Junior High). Some of my friends who're reading this would know who's class I'm talking about, and I think it's kinda hard to put it into words, especially when I'm trying to add Malfie's character into it. And the tree, however, is modeled after my neighbor's tree. (Or do I have one?? ...I have no earthly clue what's growing in my garden. I swear I don't! .O; Meh.)

[3] Okay, for those who haven't read **Heaven Forbid**, this is just a tidbit of information for you. You really should check it out if you haven't yet. Kinda starts out depressing, but takes a 180 turn and you get a bunch of silly fluff (half the time my brain's whacko when I write those chapters) and lots of story.

[4] The name 'Natty' is just a nickname for Nathaniel. You know, 'Natty boy'? Maybe not, but hopefully. The only time Malachi is called by his first name is when he's in trouble or addressed by his teachers the first days of school. (Everyone should know how it is if they have a nickname they still stick with.)


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